LS: The Rest of the Story of the notsoconfict
by andi.ronni51
Summary: Rose is locked up in a cell & only the faith she has is the hope help & trust of her friends to get her out of this mess she awaits trial. minutes from being sentenced as guilty Adrian adds to the complication that puts her in a situation evn more complex
1. Prologue

**So its been done before... but heres my version of the Last Sacrifice. heres the story comming from a natural smart ass.**

**please please read and tell me what you think. be brutally honest. do you love it? hate it? ideas are welcome. this is my first fanfic. reviews will make me happy :) i already have chapters one and two writen so comments will make me upload them faster! lots of love! - Andi **

**Ps. Please note that the genious in this story are not mine. all the characters and some of the plot , and story are of the criminal dasterdly mind of Ms. Mead. whom i am jelous of. **

**Prologue:**

"No, they execute traitors." Abe's words still rang in my head and I was vaguely aware of the handcuffs on my hands which were painfully around my back. Someone was guiding me back into my holding cell. Dimitri's old cell. Hey at least I would was close with him in one way. Hopefully his pillow wouldn't be as cold and hating towards me as he was. I sighed. My restrainer took of the cuffs and shoved me into the cell. His keys jangled as he locked me in. you'd think I committed a murder… Oh wait. They turned and walked away

"Hey!" I called a smart ass comment bubbling to my lips. "You sure you want to leave me down here by myself? I might try the impossible and chew through the bars!"

They didn't answer as they walked away. I smirked in their direction and had the sudden urge to stick out my tongue. I resisted turning around. Looking through the cell bars were a lot better than the driving madness of plain metal and neutral colors around me. I finally turned feeling defeated. Maybe Mikhail would pay a visit to me soon. It would save me from getting driven t_oo_ crazy.

I lay down on the cot. The events of this beautiful day had taken a lot out of me and I suddenly felt the weight of it. I pulled my legs close to me and examined my wrists where the cuffs had been. My wrists were a little red and I massaged one with the fingers of my other hand. It was a little drafty down here in the pit of hell. They gave me no blasted blanket. Probably thought I might try to hang myself or something. I chuckled at the thought. Rose Hathaway had a little too much pride to go as far as hang herself. I might go as far as a charge worthy jail break, but I definitely stoped at suicide.

A small voice in my head spoke up: _it might just speed up the process_. I shoved the thought out of my head as fast as it had come in.

Abe would get me out of this mess. I would live. Everything would be ok again. I'd get my life back, my friends, Adrian… Dimitri. I sighed. Dimitri… Funny how we were taking turns on death row. It could be worse I thought. Least I'm not a Strigoi. I shivered again from the cold and tried to picture arms holding me keeping me warm and safe from the demon out to get me. I wondered idly whose arms were holding me. The Adrian in my head kept trying to overcome the Dimitri in me. I settled on Adrian.

Dimitri was done with me anyway. His love faded. Like an old pair of jeans. _But_… the voice in my head came back. _Did you see the way he defended you before_? I hadn't had the time to dwell on the fact he tried to keep me away from the scary monsters the Queens guards were. I was a little preoccupied with the fact they had a warrant for my arrest. For killing the queen. But I did remember the soft squeeze of his fingers on mine and how, if I had had the time, my body would have reacted to his touch.

I pulled my legs closer and hugged them to my body with my arms. _Abe will get me out of this_... I said again to myself. I have to get out of this. Uncertainty filled my body and I wasn't sure if it was the Team Adrian or Team Dimitri debating in my head again or the fact of trusting Abe's power to get me out of this mess.

I rested my head back on the cot. It kind of hurt in the process… they probably stuffed the mattress with rocks. No support for my back. _This is how they treated guardian criminals_? I thought slyly. The person in charge of this place must have his heart set on everyone in here being convicted I guess. If he hadn't he might have thought of a better mattress for my back. I might get out of this someday and end up saving the guy in charge's ass, and I'll need a good back.

I closed my eyes as tried to rest and clear out my head. There sure as hell were no sugarplums and gum drops dancing through my head. I ran through the events of the day once again desperate to find out the conclusion of it all. I then remembered the note Ambrose had given me. It suddenly weighed a hundred pounds in my pocket. Hopefully it would help in my defense.

I concentrated on clearing my thoughts again and taking deep breaths. One to three inhale… one two three exhale.

Don't think about it… I reminded myself. I won't think about it now… I'll think about it tomorrow.

And I suddenly remembered one of my favorite movie quotes from Gone with the Wind and smiled on the inside. I spoke out loud just to hear a voice…

"Tomorrow is another day."

Somewhere in the middle of my breathing exercise I sank into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 1

I sank into an unconsciousness that blurred and then came into focus. I was lying on my bed in my room back at the Court, and Adrian's arms were wrapped tightly around me holding me to his chest. He combed his fingers through my hair ending shivers down my spine. I sighed in contentment.

"Adrian?"

"Yes my little dampire?"

"I've never been so happy for you to barge into my dreams." I tightened my arms around his neck.

"Me either." He chuckled. Even through my dream I could smell cloves on him. I wasn't about to chastise him. He'd been through as much as I recently.

"How are you doing?" he asked me

"You mean besides being on trial of high treason and being locked up in jail cell for a crime I didn't do? I'm just dandy Adrian."

"Rose Hathaway still finds a way to be sarcastic through the glum and gloom. You know that's not what I meant. I am clearly aware of the situation going on."

A few minutes passed between us. I didn't feel like complaining that my bed was lumpy I had no freaking blanket the color on the walls was driving me to madness and I had nothing to do with my life. After all… I was in prison

"You did great today in court though Rose. I'd have to say the speech you gave at the end though… really put the cherry on top of it all." I couldn't tell if he was being serious with me or not

"Adrian I don't know what more I can do or say to make them believe I didn't do it. It's like there all waiting around and barbering me with questions seeing if ill slip up and say I did kill her."

"You don't need to worry about it little dampire you've got a lot of people behind you that know you're not guilty. We're going to get out of this mess together and the real Culprit will be caught." I liked the sound of comforting voice but it wasn't enough.

"That might not be enough. Whoever framed me wants me dead and if he's got the sources that helped with such a dirty deed such as the murder of the queen then he's probably got the sources where if he wants me out of the picture and dead, I'll be dead."

Adrian sat both of us up and made me look into his eyes.

"I don't know what that cell's already done to you. I'm supposed to be the one with the negative attitude not you. Stop thinking about dying Rose. _You're going to make it out of this mess alive_. There could be a small chance that you end up getting sentenced but that won't stop us for fighting for justice."

"Adrian," I said in a very small voice. "Do you know what happens to those convicted of being a Royal Traitor?" I picked up my hand and brushed my fingertips across his face and looked into his eyes when he didn't answer.

"They are executed." I said it flatly. And just as it had taking me by surprise when Abe told me it took Adrian by surprise and he was dumbfounded with such an expression on his face it had no words to describe. And through the emotion of it all it was too much for Adrian to hold on to and I snapped out of make-believe-everything- is-fine- with-my- life world and fell back into to nightmare of my own life.

I woke up the next morning feeling very groggy. I stretched out my muscles. I was so stiff from sleeping in fetal position all night. I tried to look around for the time but… alas no damn clock. They probably thought I'd try to dig my way out with the clock hand. I cursed under my breath.

"Say something?" A voice startled me I turned around. A young man was sitting in a chair against with his feet propped up on another outside my cell. He had his arms folded and his eyes were closed. From what I could see he was handsome.

Since I'd had no real human contact in over 12 hours, I slept on a bag full of rocks, plus I was really cranky, the Rose attitude got a hold of me.

"Yeah where's my damn breakfast? Or are you trying to starve me since I didn't get dinner either." I asked

The guy opened his eyes with a big smirk on his face and nodded his chin over to the far right of my cell where a plate of food sat with a bottle of water adjacent.

I then realized I had cotton mouth and went over to the bottle of water, opened it, and chugged it. I was really thirsty and wanted another bottle.

Mr. Mysterious must have been watching me because I heard him chuckling from where he was sitting. I was two hungry to be annoyed and I started digging in to my food. It was cold from sitting but I didn't care. When I was done I was thirstier.

I walked to the middle of my cell and put my hands on the bars. I wasn't usually nice in the morning but since I wanted something I might was well try my best.

"Hey," I cleared my throat and Mystery Guard Man looked up at me. "Can I have some more water?" I asked.

He got up to and came back with another bottle stretching his arm into my cell and handing it to me.

"Thanks."

"You're Welcome." '

I chugged that bottle faster than I did the first.

"You really were thirsty."

"Yeah thanks for the other bottle… an actually surprised they even gave it to me in a bottle."

He cocked his head to the side and folded his arms and leaned up against my cell door. "Why?" he asked.

"I might have bottled up the pressure unscrewed the top which I'd aim at you hitting you like a bullet, leaving you defenseless and wounded while I have enough time to grab your keys and escape." My smart mouth was already up and running this early in the morning.

He laughed. "It's a good thing I don't have the keys then."

"Mhm…" I replied. I couldn't think of anything smarter.

"I thought everyone was exaggerating about you Rose Hathaway. You're quite a Handful."

"Who are you I haven't seen you around?"

He stretched his hand into my cell "I'm Parker." He said and I shook his hand.

"Wow. I'm surprised you shook my hand. I could have had a hidden lazar my sleeve that could have severed your arm-"

Parker interrupted me. "So when do the smart jokes leave the building?"

"You obviously do not know me." I said slyly.

"Touché."

"You're strangely nice to be a guard of someone like me."

"Someone like who?"

"Well… considering I'm behind bars."

"Do you want me to be mean?" he asked

"No, no… you just the first nice one I've come across in this whole mess. It's kind of nice not being treated like a criminal." I said sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"Because you're not one." He stated and his remark threw me for a second. Whoa. Again I didn't know what to say so I said the first thing that came to me.

"I didn't do it." I said in a quiet voice.

"I know." He said back.

Man… Parker was full of surprises. Not only do I land a pretty hot cell guard. I managed to get a nice one. Who on top of that believed I was not guilty. Maybe Adrian was right, maybe I had more people on my side than I thought.

I lied down on my make shift bed and probed myself up on my arm looking at Parker.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm actually happy to have you as my guard." I told him.

"Don't say that yet." Parker smiled at me. "I'm the watch while you're sleeping. Guardian Lenard is in charge of you when you're awake. I leave in 15 minutes."

"As he as cool as you are too?"

"You be the judge." He said flatly but he had a smirk on his face. Great.

I laid my head down on my lumpy pillow and tried to snooze. Dream of a better place… maybe if I tried hard enough I'd end up in Oz like Dorothy. Oz could be cool. I could live amongst midgets. I might even fit in. I was short enough.

I went on thinking like that for a while and when I woke up somebody different was sitting in Parkers chair. He was HUGE and very means looking. Just the kind of person I make fun of.

I sat up. "You must be Lenny."

"Guardian Lenard to you." He had a loud deep voice.

"Wow Lenny, what a booming voice you have. You know if they ever make a play where they need thunder… you should try out."

I heard Lenny sigh. It was clearly a sign of annoyance. "Ms. Hathaway you have the right to remain silent. Why don't you start practicing?"

"I miss Parker." I mumbled under my breath

I lay back down but I felt a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen. Dang I had to pee.

"Hey Guardian where's the bathroom in this joint?" I asked

Lenard jabbed his fat sausage finer in the direction of a little silver pot sticking out of the wall on the far left of my cell. There was a mangy curtain hanging by one side. Was that supposed to be a privacy wall? I hate my life.

"You have got to be kidding me." I said exasperated by it all.

"Then hold it." Lenny's voice boomed off the walls.

I groaned. God? It's me Rose… I know we haven't talked in a while but… when does this whole in my life bottom out?

I ended up using the sad excuse of a toilet. What was I supposed to do?

I started pacing around my cell I didn't want to lie back down. I had started seeing pictures on the ceiling. Not a good sign. I started getting dizzy from walking in circles so I turned around and started walking in circles in the opposite direction.

Lenny's voice boomed against my ear drums again.

"Hathaway you have a visitor."

I looked up seeing Abe and I actually smiled.

"Old Man, you don't know how happy I am to see you."

"Little Girl how are you this morning?" he asked me. As he came more into view I really noticed what he was wearing. Black slacks, a royal blue collared shirt and his normal multi colored scarf. In his head he wore a hat that looked like it was stolen from a 50's mafia king. On Abe it was…. Suiting.

"I'm okay, that's all I can say."

He leaned towards me and leaned against the bars whispering. "Are they treating you right?"

"We'll enough Mr. Lawyer." I probably looked like a mess. My hair was probably a tangle, my clothes were wrinkled from sleeping in a ball all night, and I probably had bags under my eyes.

"I've been working all night. I tried to sleep but Adrian woke me up all upset."

I would have known that as soon as he stopped dream walking with me he would go directly to Abe.

"We've been trying to uncover anything we can, find out anything that could help us in court. Adrian believes the man on watch of the hall your room is in could have been lying about what time he saw Adrian. I'd not hard to pay somebody off and mess with the camera equipment. We've been trying to find out an exact time frame."

I sighed. The odds weighed depressingly not in my favor. It was like when I wanted to hear some good news and for something to be right… everything would go left. It was all plummeting downhill. I felt as if I was sinking in mud; I was so deep in I couldn't breathe.

I sank down to my knees onto the floor still gripping the bars of my cell. Yesterday I was not guilty, I was sure that there was a way out and they would let me go. It had to be a misunderstanding or a horrible framing that would be uncovered. Now this morning as I sat on the cold floor I was still Not Guilty, I knew it my friends and family knew it. But it wouldn't be enough to save me in the end. Whoever was out to get me was more or a criminal mastermind than I thought possible.

"I want this to be over." I said

"Rose, your trial is the day after tomorrow, its coming up quick. It usually takes a few weeks to get to court and find a jury and get and have everything legally situated. They're not taking kindly to this situation. They're rushing through the process. They want to have who ever had done this to be tried and sentenced and for it to be done with. They want it to be over as fast as you and have this horrible mess behind them. They won't rest until they've pointed a finger at someone. It just happened that the finger is pointed at you."

My insides dropped and my whole body felt like jello. Before I had time to realize it or control it, tears were rolling down my face. It was like overnight I was a changed person. Rose Hathaway didn't cry. Now I was sobbing. When I was little I'd never had a dad there to pick me up when I fell and scraped my knee and was crying. I'd never had a dad there to put a band aid on and kiss my booboo's and wipe the tears from my cheeks. I'd never been held and been told everything okay.

Now my dad was here and I was crying trying to keep from hysteria. He reached an arm into my cell and patted my shoulder a few times. He took my chin and made me look up at him.

"Dad, get me out of this. Make it all stop." I said between chokes of breath. I'm pretty sure I had never called him dad before but that wasn't really the point of the moment. To my childhood fantasy he did wipe my tears off my cheeks.

"I will, I promise." But even I could hear the uncertainty quivering through his voice. "I have work to do." he told me and then he left me.

I climbed up onto my cot again and the lumpy pillow felt welcoming. And then I passed out from exhaustion.

**So theres my first chapter. i really loved writing it Rose is such a smart mouth its so much fun to write :) dont you like parker? reviews please? they make me smile and it makes it worth while to spend my whole life on my laptop typing. **

**xo's Andi!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter two… sorry for right now the story doesn't seem to be going anywhere but I'm leading up to it kay! Read read read tell me what you think! Reviews will make me upload :) ideas welcome**

**Thanks for everybodys support **

**Hooray Duskygurl! You were my first review and that made my day :) **

**Kay ill shut up now. –Andi **

I woke up later. I don't know how much later. I had an uneasy set in my stomach. I felt hot and sticky. I turned to get off the cot but my stomach turned another way and bile rose in my throat. I clamped a hand over my mouth and made my way over to the tin can toilet. I spent the next five minutes wrenching my lungs out. Damn cold food. I didn't think it would have made me sick. Then again scarfing it down like a mad woman didn't help the cause.

I rinsed out my mouth in the tiny sink adjacent to the toilet. My stomach already felt sore from the heaving. I noticed a bottle of water in the corner of my cell. Lenny was sitting looking occupied with his head ducked in the newspaper. I picked up the bottle and took a few swigs of water testing to see if I would get sick again. Then I crawled back on the cot overwhelmed by tiredness and fell back asleep again.

I slept hard again. When I woke up dazed with grogginess I noticed a platter with some food on it. Even at the sight of food I got queasy again and I threw my legs over the cot and stumbled back over to the toilet barley making it.

When I washed my mouth out again Parker called out to me.

"Everything okay?"

I just nodded like a bobble head and collapsed back onto the cot. I eventually fell back sleep and when I did Adrian was there walking around in his room. I was curled up on his bed.

I didn't know what to say to him, he apparently didn't either since he stayed silent.

"I had to see you." He said simply. I stayed quiet. "I'm sorry, about last night, it caught me off guard, and it's been driving me crazy." He started mumbling and I couldn't catch what he was saying. It was the side effects from being a spirit user talking.

For a few minute after that it was silent.

"The Queen's funeral is tomorrow." He stated like he was making casual conversation.

I still had nothing to say. That was until I remembered the note that was still in my pocket.

"Adrian... I might have something that could help." I said unfolding the piece of paper. From the look on his face he looked like he'd hoped that _the something that could help_ had been a bottle of liquor. I handed it to him and as he read it his eyes kept widening and widening and I think he even gasped.

"Rose! Why didn't you say anything about this letter? This is hard evidence! How- how did you even get this?"

"Ambrose gave it to me after addressing the courtroom yesterday… or the day before that. I lost track of time. What day is it?"

Adrian didn't answer; he kept looking at the paper. I studied him and observed the bags under his eyes.

"Adrian when was the last time you got some sleep?" I asked

He looked up at me and folded the paper back up handing it back. "Hold on to that Rose whatever you do don't let anybody see it and don't tell anybody about it." He looked very stern. If his eyebrows could go any lower they could pass for mustache.

He kissed my forehead and then he slowly kissed my lips.

"I love you little dampire. Now let's both catch some sleep." He squeezed my hand and then left me to my own dreams.

The next 24 hours were a blur. I slept and slept. There was nothing else to do. I had asked Parker to wake me up the nest time food was brought. I wanted to avoid the food poisoning escapade again. Eating my food while it was still fresh and hot and taking littler bights would help avoid that.

It was mostly quiet between Parker and me. None of us spoke but his presence was comforting all the same. It could be worse… I could have been alone. It could have been worse than that even. I could have been being guarded by Lenny. He took the day off to go to the Queens Funeral. I thanked my lucky stars.

It was a little after ten in the morning. I had asked Parker. The queen's funeral had started at 9:30. I decided to slip into Lissa's mind and see what was going on for myself.

***** Authors note! Listen to the song while you read this next part. It will make it seem much more emotional. It will make you tear up… because I did. Ha-ha. Here's the link: .com/watch?v=-Sv2yzIrpaY *****

She was sitting in the front of a fancy church in the second row. I guess all the royals had been asked to sit up front. She had a tissue in one hand and Christian was holding her other hand. She was sniffling and Christian kept rubbing the outside of her hand in comforting patterns with his thumb.

She wasn't listening to the eulogy given up at the front of the church by the Father. She was concentrating on Christian. It was very comforting to be sitting next to him. She remembered observing him earlier this morning. He looked so good in his black suit. It made his shaggy hair look even more jet black and his eyes popped with the contrast stunning her.

Through her I could feel the immense love she had for him. She looked up at him and he looked back. He wiped a tear that had escaped with the back of his hand. The feeling of him touching her sent a jolt of shock and satisfaction through her body. If I didn't know any better they would have started making out right in the middle of the whole memorial. Lissa leaned against Christian's shoulder.

Man they had only been back together for less than a week. Good to see things were back to normal between them. I felt happy for her. I'd been more or less worried about Lissa when the two of them split. Christian and she were like one beat of the same heart. The two of them together was right. At least one good thing was coming out of this whole mess.

Through Lissa's eyes I looked around the rest of the Church. There were flowers everywhere. They looked like pink white and red roses. The queens Casket was in the Front of the church dead center. No pun intended. Around it were purple Lilac's. Off center there was a huge portrait of Queen Tatiana. She was in a gold gown sitting on a thrown looking chair. A stern look as on her face but it was a face of authority. In the front row all the Ivashkov's sat together. I saw Adrian Sitting next to his mother. He had a look on concentration on his face like he was thinking of something really hard.

I started listening to what the priest was saying. He invited a member of the family to come up and speak a few words on the Queen's behalf. Adrian's dad rose from his pew and made his way up to the front of the church behind the podium.

"Queen Tatiana, was my very dear aunt." He began. I could tell that he was going to be theatrical. "When I was a little boy, I was very close with her. I thought of her as more of a second mom. She helped teach me and formed me into the man I am today. Her views and passion in politics are something in which I have tried hard to pass over to my own children." He took a deep quivering breath. "She was the greatest ruler our world has long since known. Her decisions and rule have made our world a better place. She was a great woman, who to our sorrow endured a wrongful death. Right so, her found murderer, in her name, will be avenged." He was looking at Adrian then, the look on his face dripped in disappointment.

"_Go to hell." _ I heard Christian mumble under his breath, and Lissa squeezed his hand.

I looked over at Adrian. He looked so pissed. I saw through Lissa's eye him try to stand. To do what? It looked like to tackle his father to the ground. Daniella pushed him down in his seat and I saw her whisper something in his ear.

Behind the podium Adrian's father spoke again.

"Furthermore, we will miss Her Majesty more than dearly, and even as a new Queen will take the thrown with a different name, the Ivashkov family will right so carry on her legacy. And in our world we will remember her forever, and she will reign on." He took a deep breath and did the sign of the cross. "God rest her Royal Majesty Queen Tatiana Ivashkov's soul." He said with loud clarity.

The congregation repeated the words and Lord Ivashkov went back to his seat.

A piano and Orchestra started playing then. I noticed the song, Redeemer by Paul Cardall.

It was beautiful; it made me want to cry along with everybody else in the church. All of the royals rose and filed in a line making their way to the casket. Each of them lit a candle in The Queen's memory and filed back to their seats. Lissa and Christian lit there candle, and turned to go back to their seats, but Lissa noticed Adrian still standing in front of the Coffin with an unfathomable expression of pain on his face. He was the only one standing up there. It was heartbreaking.

"Go on without me." she whispered to Christian. She walked over to Adrian and touched his shoulder. Adrian just stood there, looking like he'd never move again.

"Rose didn't do it Auntie I know you know that. Please help us find the truth." He whispered finally.

Lissa wrapped her arms around Adrian and He hugged her back holding on. Lissa had tears running down her face. I heard Adrian choke, a sound of sobbing and I could feel through Lissa one of his tears escaping and falling on top of her hair.

I got out of Lissa's head. I'd seen enough. And when I snapped out of the reverie, there were tears running down my own face.

"You okay in there?" Parker asked.

I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand embarrassed. "Yeah I'm fine, something at the Queens Funeral made me cry."

He looked at me questioning my sanity.

"Me and Lissa have this bond. I'm spirit bounded to her. I can get into her head and witness everything she does. She's at the funeral so that's how I saw." I gave him a rough conclusion.

"Huh. That's interesting." Parker said rubbing the stubble on his face. I'm pretty sure he still didn't understand what I was talking about.

"Yeah it comes in handy." I allowed.

A few minutes passed.

"So… what's going on in the funeral?" Parker asked

"Lord Ivashkov just gave a speech on his aunt's behalf on how he's going to avenge me."

"That's cold. I thought you two were together."

I chuckled, thinking of what would stir up if I was actually seeing Adrian's dad.

"No, I'm with his son Adrian." I sighed, thinking of Adrian, and how miserable he was at the moment. I wished I could have been the one there to comfort him.

"This is just my opinion but that's even colder. I'm guessing he doesn't approve?"

His comment made me laugh darkly. Adrian's dad defiantly didn't approve. I thought back to the night I spent at Adrian's house eating dinner with his friendly. "You always this good at guessing games?"

"I'm good at reading people. That's probably why I'm bad ass at Poker." Parker wiggled his eyebrows and I laughed.

That surprised me. "Oh yeah? I bet your all talk." I said

Parker walked over to a desk by the door and pulled out a deck of cards from the drawer and shuffled them in his hands.

"You want to bet?" he asked with a sly smile rising from the corner of his mouth.

"Bring it on." I said, waving my hand like a character in a kung Fu movie. A little friendly competition could be healthy.

He sat on the outside of my cell door cross legged and I sat cross legged on the other side. He shuffled and dealt out the cards between the bars of my cell. I mentally prayed Lenny didn't walk in. I wasn't that good at card games but I forgot all of that. Parker obviously wasn't either because I won the first 3 hands.

When we got tired of poker we played a friendly game of Bull shit. We were both really good at keeping a straight face which made the game more difficult. Parker was better than I was at calling bluffs. Eventually I called one of Parkers Bluffs though and erupted in a chorus shouting "Bull SHIT!" it felt so good to say since everything right now was bull shit in my life. We cackled on the ground together, the whole thing was ridiculous.

As the game progressed I forgot of all of my worries, and let loose of the tension in my muscles. I felt like my old self, and I had the most fun I had in 3 days.

A little while later I was still sitting on the floor of my cell. I was thinking about Dimitri again and then I started thinking about training. While I got out of this I really needed to hit the gym again. 3 days without practice and I knew I was going to have to seriously tone up again. After all I was still a guardian; I had to be physically up to the part.

Parker had gotten a call and had left me for the moment. When he came back he told me I had a visitor.

"You can let Abe down, you don't need to ask."

"It's not Mr. Mazur." He said looking at a piece of paper on a clipboard. I wondered idly who I could be. Adrian would wait till I was asleep if he wanted to talk. Maybe it was Lissa, but she was probably still at the Funeral.

"Who is it?" I asked

"Someone by the name of Bel- Belikov?"

My mind spun and my stomach dropped.

"I deny the request." I said flatly. Two could play at that game. I couldn't visit him when he'd been locked up, why should he see me?

Parker spoke my words into a speaker.

Words came back through the radio.

"Why?" I recognized Dimitri's voice.

I asked parker for the speaker and replied to Dimitri with my own voice.

"What's the matter comrade? Don't like the taste of your own medicine?"

"Don't call me that." He retorted.

"I deny the request of visitation."

"So you'll talk to me through a radio, but you won't let me in to see you? Why are you so stubborn?"

I liked hearing the sound of his voice. This was the most we had talked in a long time.

"See, you say that like you don't know the answer to that question. I'm not going to be the person that cracked."

"Your pride will get you in trouble."

"A little late for that Dimitri." I said. I recognized sadness in my voice. I more than liked the sound of his voice… I loved it. But I didn't want to see him. It would make me buckle at my knees and remind me of how he didn't want me anymore and I had a little too much on my plate to deal with those emotions right now.

I heard him sigh. I sighed too.

"It's going to be okay in the end Rose, you need to think positive and not let the others who don't believe in you opinions get the best of you. Keep your head high." It had been a while since I'd heard him give me a Zen lesson but instead of making fun of it this time, I tried to embrace his words.

"Thanks for the Zen lesson comrade."

"I can't see your face to tell if your being sarcastic or not. I'm guessing you are 'cause that's how you are Roza.

The old nick-name stirred emotions up inside of me. Why was he playing with me like that? It wasn't nice.

"I'm not being sarcastic." I said and I sighed.

"A first, I should write this day down."

"I haven't seen Lissa since the funeral and she was pretty upset. Take care of her for me." I didn't want Lissa to be upset, she couldn't take it. The dark magic would mess with her.

Dimitri could tell I was done talking. He said goodbye and he left. I gave Parker back the speaker. He had a look on his face that looked like he wanted to ask me a million questions.

"Later." I said simply.

I laid back on my cot trying to distract myself from Dimitri by making pictures out of the scaffolding on the ceiling. The exercise helped clear my head. Minutes after that I feel back into a deep sleep.


End file.
